anniversary of hurricane katrina. >> here we go again. i wonder if i will lose my home again and have to start all over. >> i fear all storms. you never know what you will get. >> isaac has disrupted the republican national convention in tampa where mitt romney is scheduled to arrive today and officially become the republican nominee once there. also on deck, speeches from the candidate's wife ann romney and this year's keynote speaker, new jersey governor chris christie. >> will there be a line tomorrow that we will be talking about from your speech tonight? >> i hope a few. >> we have a lot to get you up to speed and cover. let's get the latest from the breaking news update on isaac's path. raphael miranda, what is the

latest? >> isaac is a strong tropical storm. it is on the cusp of becoming a hurricane. the winds still stuck at 70 miles per hour and moving slowly off the gulf of mexico. as we take a look at the satellite picture, this is why we expect to see it as a hurricane. the circulation is wrapping around the center of low pressure. more organized thunderstorms. becoming a more symmetrical storm. here is a look at the radar. you can see the rain bands moving into southern louisiana and the gulf coast. now we have a tornado watch in effect. this is the first severe weather advisory for the gulf coast. tornado watch until 8:00. for east of new orleans and gulfport and mississippi and alabama. there is a severe weather chance of tornadoes as isaac approaches in the afternoon. it is a slow mover. we are expecting the category one storm offshore at 8:00 with

the winds at 80 miles per hour. isaac will make landfall just to the southwest of new orleans overnight tonight. it is still stuck to the south of new orleans by tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. this will bring torrential downpours and the threat of storm surge for the gulf coast. even on thursday, we're still talking about isaac thursday morning dumping tropical rain across the gulf coast. we will see up to 20 inches of rainfall in spots. we will have the latest advisories as they come out throughout the day. we will keep you updated. thomas. >> as it lumbers, it is slow moving. what are they looking for to upgrade it from tropical storm to hurricane? >> that is all about the wind speeds. if the winds are stuck at 70, it needs five more hours to be a category one hurricane. it will not make much of a difference. the winds are not the story. it is about the storm surge and

flooding potential that will last for days and the severe weather. we have the first tornado watch. that is something to watch out for. >> raphael, thank you. we are moving on. the thousands are bolting up and gearing up to go to higher ground and battening down the hatches. the biggest fears are in the big easy. the nightmare is another katrina-like failure of the levees. the ones you see will have a much better effect to weather this storm. >> i want to assure you all that there is nothing that this storm is going to bring us that we do not believe we are prepared to handle. >> we have tamron hall reporting from a windy and wet new orleans. tamr tamron, bring us up to speed on the city. you have been there the last 24 hours. >> it is interesting you played that sound from the president of jefferson parish. they are looking at the pump

system. if isaac hovers over new orleans, we are looking at 3 to 4 inches of rain an hour. the pumps can handle 1 inch per hour. we are not far from bourbon street. i see people milling about. you can hear in the background, people are boarding up at this hour. also near me is a crate that has a flood wall in it. they are putting up a flood wall around the hotel. a lot of tourists, as you know, come to the french quarter. it is above sea level, but it is not immune to flooding. that is why you see the preparations going on. the reality is behind the levee system, the army corps of engineers is expressing confidence in the levee system. we are at the 17th street canal. you don't have the fear this is a katrina storm or the levees won't hold. there is the fear of flooding.

thomas, you see another band. we're feeling the impact of the outer bands of isaac. we have been feeling it for the last few hours. this clear shot you see right now n the next 24 hours, that will not be the case. the few folks i see milling about, trying to see what is happening here in the french quarter. those people will be hunkered down like the rest. it is about the pump system. will this area be not under water, but suffering the impacts. we will have to see what happens there. i have spoken to a lot of people. there is concern that the ground is saturated. they had an immense amount of rain. that means downed power lines and downed trees. we will keep you up to date on what is happening. >> msnbc's tamron hall. we will check in with you. tamron will anchor her show at 2:00 p.m. eastern, "news

nation." as isaac is inching toward the gulf coast, the show has to go on in tampa. mitt romney and paul ryan will arrive in tampa this afternoon. the first order of business is the roll call in which mitt romney will be the nominee. speakers from john boehner to scott walker to virginia's bob mcdonnell. the two speeches will be delivered by ann romney and new jersey governor chris christie. let's bring in the director for the republican national convention. sean, good to see you here. the keynote speaker is chris christ christie. they then run the next cycle to run for president. he was asked about the content on his speech on the "today" show. i want to remind you. take a listen. all right. we don't have the content of

that speech. what was asked about him is whether or not he will address the tough love stance that he has taken in new jersey to try to get problems within that state under control. one thing that was heralded when he signed up to speak was his unemployment number. new jersey at 9.8%. the phrase "jersey comeback" is not part of his speech tonight. do you think he needs to tone down the tough love persona since that is not working in new jersey right now? what he puts in his speech tonight? >> well, one of the other things that governor christie did is he came into the state with a high deficit and tackled his state's finances without raising taxes. that is another accomplishment. there are several things that governor christie has been able to do. what he will talk about is his ability to get things done and how mitt romney will do the same thing as president of the united states. looking at the problems the country faces, namely the

economy and jobs and how governor romney will put a plan in place to get people back to work and get the economy moving again. >> there is a lot of curiosity about the tone of chris christie will provide. he was on "morning joe" here on msnbc about the joke mitt romney made last friday about the birth certificate. >> if you get a chance to talk to governor romney, he would tell you he wishes he could take that back. >> that was mitt romney making a joke and saying no one needs to look for his birth certificate there. the president just gave a speech talking to people from the white house in the last hour about not tempting fate along the gulf coast. given the fact the joke didn't go over so well, have you recommended or has the rnc recommended that people try to axe any type of birther jokes from the podium as we watch the speeches? >> first of all, the question was what the governor said in

michigan last week was he was in michigan. he was noting the fact he was born there. mrs. romney was born there. it was a light-hearted moment. to read too much into it is just doing that. what the governor will talk about and what i think almost all of our speakers will be talking about over the next three days is the governor's plan and the governor's vision and how he wants to move this economy forward and how he wants to tackle energy policy and health care and education. things that are important to americans out there. i think you will see a very focused convention the next three nights with all of our speakers talking about the metrics and plans that governor romney has to get this country going. also, to add a little bit of understanding as to who he is as a person. as you mentioned in the intro, mrs. romney will speak tonight. she will speak as a wife and mother, what type of person governor romney has been beyond the 30-second commercial and give folks who have not been

focusing on the election now an opportunity to understand what a great father he has been. if you add to that, color, to who he is going forward. >> a high-power line up for you tonight, sean. >> every night. >> tonight is the big kickoff. i know you were in recess out of respect of what is going on. things will pick up in tampa. sean spicer with the rnc. >> thanks, thomas. >> is there lingering doubt about romney's chances? eugene robinson and michael steele and carol finney. you can tweet me. we're back in a moment. you do this every morning?

it's the only way to get fresh coffee. not in my house! this new flavor lock pack from maxwell house helps seal in freshness. wow! that is fresh! am i still yelling? [ male announcer ] maxwell house flavor lock. always good to the last drop.

you know, ronny... [ male announcer ] maxwell house flavor lock. folks who save hundreds of dollars by switching to geico sure are happy. and how happy are they jimmy? i'd say happier than a bodybuilder directing traffic. he does look happy. get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. ar ntlr gh rg [ nn ]errequ gh sf owgrl. rg

welcome to janesville, everybody. >> you ready for tampa? >> vice presidential candidate paul ryan leaving for tampa this morning. the next few days will feature speeches from the rising in the gop. today's speeches have a line of republicans. pennsylvania's rick santorum will challenge the president on welfare. scott walker will talk about what he is calling the choice. then bob mcdonnell well talk about the small business and economy.

we have our power panel. we have eugene robinson and karen finney and then michael steele. analyst and former chair of the rnc. michael, i want to star with you. start us off with the speakers we have tonight. the keynote is chris christie. he is responding to the report that he did not run on the romney ticket because he thought they would lose. here is what he had to say on "morning joe." >> obviously, a lot of people will be chattering about the "new york post" article today. that you don't think mitt romney can win. >> completely shoddy reporting. they never talked to me. > >> shoddy reporting. they did not talk to him. several pointed out the

reporters behind the article know christie and his camp really well. what do you think about the timing of that? the keynote speaker on front of the post? michael, can you hear me? >> you are coming in now. >> all right. michael, the question is -- can you hear me now? like the verizon guy. >> i'll turn you up. >> can you hear me now? >> going with the flow here. >> chris christie, front page of "the post." saying he is not a front runner because he thought the romney ticket would not win. is that a problem now he is keynote speaker? >> no, i don't. christie will knock it out of the park. i think he will layout the brand of the party that people have not seen before. which is good. i think it will be, in many way,

the romney effort to win the election and set the tone in the right direction. you get those hiccups coming into these things. i don't think chris christie and the romney team will let that stand in the way. >> will they deflect that criticism off the flashy headline? >> i think so. >> i don't think that's going to be a particular problem for the convention, thomas, to tell you the truth. look, it is no secret. there are a number of prominent republicans who maybe thought about running this year and getting into the fray this year. it is a lot harder to unseat an incumbent president than to get in the race when there is no incumbent. people who thought they had another four years to wait, may decide to wait. i don't think that is any great secret. >> one thing is revealed is rick

santorum. he was an author of the welfare reform. take a listen to his speech. >> what barack obama has done is waive that work requirement. that is an assault on what has built a great successful program. >> karen, fact checkers have disputed the claim on the work requirement. why pursue this line of attack during the convention? >> it is an absolute lie. what santorum has said. i think they believe this is a winning issue for them. unfortunately, it is part of the dog whistle politics. we talked about this over the last several days. they are trying to appeal to people in this country who -- because you had governor romney saying the president was trying to make the modifications to appeal to his base. the combination of those things

are very disturbing in terms of what the message is that they are targeting. i think they are trying to reach out to white, working class voters and play into fears and stereoty stereotypes. unfortunately, i heard some reports that indicate from polling it may be somewhat effective with some voters. i think how most voters hear it as rhetoric and divisive powers over what it is you would do to move the country forward. as a catholic, i'm very troubled by this kind of politics of demonizing people on welfare and demonizing the programs as a way to win the election. the republican party is the party of smaller government and more control to the states. that is what president obama was trying to do here and now they are saying we're not for that. >> i want to make sure you can hear all of what we are saying and what karen was saying there.

as we talk about the romney campai campaign, they insist the welfare ads they put out are accurate. the romney campaign is trying to push the welfare issue because he has a big gap to cover with the black voters. >> let's be honest with this, and karen would agree, an ad of any variety will not close the gap that exists between republicans and the african-american community or the romney campaign and the african-american community. let's set that aside. >> that's -- >> that's about getting the white voters to see that and coming out to support it. >> it's about karl rove and his strategy of anger points. that's what it is about. >> let's set that aside for a moment. we get that. i'm answering the first part about closing the gap. that ad is not there to close the gap between the blacks and republican party and the campaign. the next this is takes a racist

overtone. why are you automatically jumping to blacks and welfare? he is talking about people who have fallen into the welfare system who have been pushed in the system by virtue of the economic policies that have not addressed the joblessness and loss of opportunity. >> michael, do you think most people are aware of that? more caucasians than african-americans on the welfare system? do you think the american electorate is aware of that? >> study has shown recently that we tend to associate welfare programs to african-americans. if you didn't know that, shame on you. if you did know that, shame on you. >> that is great, karen. that is great, but that belies

the fact the majority of individuals on welfare on white. we need to reeducate the american people to that point. >> this is not the time. >> that is just ridiculous. >> come on. >> guys, let's let eugene get in here. he is quietly looking. he has a smile on his face. he is a patient professorial young man. >> just as pure politics, whether republicans are doing, is diabolically clever, i think. they are potentially moving the needle. i believe, playing subliminally to racial fears and racial resentments, which have been exacerbated by the economic situation. they are going after white, working class voters in states like ioohio, who resent the ide that people are welfare are

getting a free ride, but are not. i think that is what they are doing. i think they are keeping it up because they had, according to the polls, a bit of success with it. the question is whether the democrats can push back to correct the record. not just push back the narrative and move the needle back again. >> can i ask a quick question? i hear what you are saying about the republicans. how is that different from the democrats and what they are doing when they put out ads about republicans will turn back the clock on civil rights. what card is being played there when you know factually. you have no evidence of that. >> that is turning back the clock, michael, you know it. >> that is ridiculous. the laws the majority of americans support. >> our tuesday political power panel. eugene robinson and karen finney

and michael steele. thank you. ann romney will talk from the heart and it will be a real open speech. what does she need to say? meghan mccain weighs in on that. we are keeping a watchful eye on tropical storm isaac. it will bring tremendous storm surge with it. it is a slow-moving storm. residents not taking any chances. a full update after this. atd anc ] elib f buoer

0%rtalen tu. bsinsindhhcra le sca't d ou tf-et. wo ts, u'levifal adi plrk u're ta e wo ts, toe ra en b

anizlpe-ve itsu 3xpnc erresu ge d ped es sap ut..yoe hoac p fhe

the gulf coast remains on high alert as we speak. up to 15 inches of rain and the possibility of tornadoes. we have it all covered for you. plus, do republicans or the president need to tone down campaign events because of this potential natural disaster? melissa harris perry will found off on that.

we will say hi to meghan and have more after this. plin inst catar ntlr gh rg [ nn ]errequ [ nn ]errsfu owgrl.

like a squirrel stashes nuts, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. zyrtec®. love the air.

whenever we see our mom up there and walking around and look at her health and how well she is doing, we feel an enormous sense of pride for her in overcoming ms. she has to struggle with it every day. to see her with my dad. >> that was josh romney along with the rest of the romney boys. speaking fondly about their mom with "today" show's matt lauer. she will talk about her candidate husband in human terms. meghan mccain will join us to talk about that. she lived through this as her father was the republican nominee for the president. now, we're going to shift gears

and talk about what is going on with hurricane isaac and bring you up to date on the storm as many continue to watch what is going on in the gulf. if we can give you a briefing on what we know about the storm. we have been told it is a slow mover this morning. the update came out at the top of the hour. it still remains at a tropical storm. winds are reaching up to 80 miles per hour. >> i'm going to a motel. 100-mile-an-hour winds. i have been in that before. i don't like it. >> here we go again. wonder if i will lose my home again and have to start over. >> sad for so many people. we want to go to janet shamblian. she joins us in mississippi. >> reporter: 30 minutes ago, it was raining. now we have sun. we know it is coming.

the water is rising here on the biloxi beach. when we were out a couple hours ago with "today" show, this has moved up to our location here. we know this will intensify and wash over the street here. you are able to go over and show the beach boulevard in biloxi. within the last 30 minutes, i would say the gaming commission in mississippi stated the casinos must close. they were newly liability. if you drive in you can see, th stores opened early. slowly, this city is winding down. traffic coming to a halt. close has been closed today and tomorrow. notably, a katrina memorial that was scheduled here in the city that took such a hard hit seven years ago, has been canceled

because of this impending storm. thomas, that is the latest from here. >> nbc's janet shamlian, thank you so much. to the gulf coast, it has not changed the schedule of the republican national convention back in tampa, but it has changed the tone and tenor. joining me is melissa harris perry. it is great to have you here. it is important to be respectful of what people along the gulf coast are going through. obviously, the rnc had to make changes. pivot to the safety concerns for the people they had there. you have a personal connection to new orleans. you are from there. you live there. how is the city prepared to handle this? >> i live in new orleans. i'm supposed to be in tampa right now. that had been the plan. i made the decision to go home. i have any daughter here.

she is an hurrication. my husband is down there trying to board up the house and trying to get my in laws to go. we are doing that. the thing is, the city is very well prepared. the city is asking people to shelter in place. i have a great deal of con ifo n confidence in the mayor. this is not the size or devastation of katrina. >> when we talk about the confidence that new orleans feels with the levees and the money invested by the corps of engineers, what is it there? >> this is emotionally difficult. we are on the seventh anniversary of hurricane katrina. people remember it at a time when we had confidence before a man made disaster. there is no way to get around those memories and emotions. >> everybody says this is the new new orleans now. we cannot look over the

political optics of all of this. the rnc, as i said, taking the respectful watch and wait and see approach. making sure delegates would be safe getting across the bridges in tampa and st. petersburg. the president, too. very brief saying let's not tempt fate. people need to pay attention to the weather updates. they walk a fine line, both sides do, because of what we saw with president bush flying over after hurricane katrina and not stopping in new orleans. >> certainly, in my own evacuation route yesterday, we had to fly through minneapolis. that was a reminder of four years ago when they had the convention in minneapolis. gustav was coming ashore. they were in the white house during the period of katrina and

many of those bureaucratic failures that happened, happened under the watch of their last republican president. they have to be careful there. they had two opportunities to choose as a vice presidential nominee louisiana governor bobby jindal or marco rubio. both capable and confident and handling a crisis. >> bobby jindal is staying in louisiana. does he walk a fine line over what he is using there? >> the president has to be presidential here. his issues have to be about the safety of the people of the gulf coast and new orleans. not about what happens with his opponent here. the politicizing it cannot happen particularly when the storm has not come ashore. >> we like having you and your

daughter here on hurrication. melissa, thanks again. new video in of mitt romney boarding his plane. he will watch his wife ann give that big speech tonight. now meghan mccain is joining us. she is the daughter of senator john mccain of arizona. meghan is in tampa. we saw this morning, the romney boys appearing on the "today" show. all five talking about how they feel about their parents and how proud they are of the journey. this is all about personalizing the candidate. ann romney expected to speak tonight. a lot of people like her. they say she is a gifted speaker. what do you think the goal of her address will be tonight? >> the goal of her speech tonight, and i would like to say this is the most important speech of the campaign, because people haven't -- some americans

have not been paying attention. this is ann romney's opportunity to show them what kind of mother she is and wife she is and what kind of first lady she would be. >> what is the tone that she needs to strike here? to be personal and funny and self deprecating about things that have happened in their life? >> i think to be as casual as possible and showcase the type of person she is. i think romney has had a little trouble coming off stiff. she is the ace in his back pocket to humanize him. she will strike a tone as my mother did, showing the world her husband. >> spouses are often referred to as the secret weapon. matt lauer asked the romney boys about mitt romney not being the best speaker. >> is it a fair knock or is it

just who he is? >> it depends what venue you see him in. we see him in a lot. at home, he is completely loose. when you see him at a rally with just a few people and they are very animated, he gets animated, too. >> isn't that the big difference now we're through the primary and now in the general. a lot of glad handing has gone on on the campaign trail to break the nerve. this is a building full of support. a crowd that wants to see mitt romney go all the way. will he break through and play off that? you have witnessed this with your dad. >> i think this is a great opportunity to be loose. there is no friendlier crowd. he will have an opportunity to show america what he is like as a dad and grandfather as his sons were saying. >> you say no friendlier crowd. we have heard from analysts

saying there shouldn't be too much of a bounce out of this. history has shown there can be and big ones for certain candidates. the last one to get a sizable bounce was bill clinton in 1992. he jumped 16 points. a lot of the conventions and the length of them are necessary. do you think they need to be revamped to be more efficient and effective with the message and what the conventions are for? >> i think these conventions are extremely important. it is a time for the american public to really understand who these polititicians are as we'l peop real people. i hope going forward in the future, we could reassess the time. in august is not a great time to hold the convention.

maybe june or july. >> they are doing the best with the convention with the schedule. ann romney and chris christie taking the stage. meghan mccain, great to have you. >> thank you. we are keeping our eyes on the dangerous situation. this is mckinney, texas, this is a construction site. a utility crew hit a gas line this morning. we're only hearing about one injury. we will keep our eye on that for you and we are back with much more right after this. higonna p? mi amore. [ chicken clucking ] [ male announcer ] bit needy, g. ok don't sweat it. just do your thing. hey! hey! [ male announcer ] definitely a little bit epic. stride. hey! hey! let's take a paint project from"that didn't take long". let's break out behr ultra. .. ...the number one selling paint and primer in one, now with stain blocker. each coat works three times harder,

priming, covering, and blocking stains. let's go where no paint has gone before, and end up some place beautiful. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. behr ultra. now with advanced stain blocking, only at the home depot, and only $31.98 a gallon. stop! stop! stop! come back here! humans -- we are beautifully imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world. that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back with great ideas like our optional better car replacement. if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. call... and ask one of our insurance experts about it today. hello?! we believe our customers do their best out there in the world, and we do everything we can to be there for them when they need us. [car alarm blaring] call now and also ask about our 24/7 support and service.

call... and lock in your rate for 12 months today. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? has oats that can help lower cholesterol? and it tastes good? sure does! wow. it's the honey, it makes it taste so... well, would you look at the time... what's the rush? be happy. be healthy.

welcome back. take a look at this. congress member paul ryan on the flight from wisconsin to florida where he is most likely working on the convention speech. he had a practice session at the holiday inn express. he is expected to use two

teleprompters for his speech. romney and ryan have talked all week about their speeches. some of the biggest stars including sarah palin and herman cain were not speaking and not invited. that is questioning to see if they have been taken over by the gop or sold out. justin phillips is the associate director of teapartyorout.com. this was a power grab by mitt romney. give us an example of why you think that. >> it is simple. it is a power grab by the republican establishment that will take not only power, but influence away from tea party groups. when you have that happen, it is no longer a party of the people.

it is a party of the elite groups. i compared it in a blog this morning to the old central committee of the old communist party of the soviet union. that's not why i signed up to are a republican. >> judson, do you think the tea party helped mitt romney get to this point? >> mitt romney did what he did on his own. through most of the election, pretty much ignored the tea party and conservatives. to this day, i will say -- i will give him a little bit of create the tea party rally sunday night, he sent a surrogate. there is a little bit there. mitt romney is doing his own thing and not with a lot of tea party help. >> as we mentioned herman cain and sarah palin and rick perry. these tea party candidates not invited at all in certain cases, is this an attempt to recalibrate the message and

steer away from personalities that may be more divisive in the gop? >> controversial is a good thing. there has always been a war in the republican party. the establishment won. mitt romney was the consummate and he won. the republican party needs to pay attention to what happened in 2006 and 2008. you know, they were put on the political endangered species list by the insiders who were running these things. it was the establishment that brought them back from the political extension. sarah palin and herman cain could light up the base. >> you said all of the former contenders should be allowed to speak if it is about unifying the party. the best way to do that is to

give them their due for the campaigns they ran. now the roster is out, is the final straw for the tea party in forming the campaign and it looks like they aren't taking your concerns seriously. they don't take what your needs are seriously all the way to the top. >> well, it is disappointing we don't have some of these people like herman cain and newt gingrich speaking. i understand newt gingrich will speak tomorrow night. we still have common interests. we may not agree on everything. there are certain things the tea party and republican party agree on. we have to get barack obama out of office. we have to keep a conservative majority in the house. there are things we agree on. there are things we will work together on even if they don't see eye-to-eye on everything. they should see everything our way. >> tea party nation, judson

phillips, thanks for your time. >> thank you for inviting me. stick around for a 14-year-old veteran reporter. see what they are talking about on the campaign trail. we'll find out. [ male announcer ] this is sheldon, whose long dy setting up the news starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news.

ar ntlr gh rg [ nn ]errequ gh sf owgrl. rg

welcome back. wanted to take you to tampa and give you a sneak peek of what our cameras just caught. ann romney has taken the stage at the republican national convention to practice the speech that she will be delivering tonight. that speech is also going to be during the same time period as the keynote speaker, new jersey governor chris christie will be addressing the crowd. some have called it this combination of soft and hard. ann romney, selling the soft image of mitt romney as the family man, the father of five boys, and mitt romney being the person to lead the country because of that. chris christie going to be the hard one, coming in and being the real pitbull, attacking president obama and reassuring americans why mitt romney can lead this nation. here's ann romney earlier on the

plane today. take a listen. >> there's not a line i need to tweak but we are refining it. >> [ inaudible ]. >> i think you will see that my speech is heartfelt and i think a lot of you have been covering me long enough and you know i have never gone off of a written text so this is a unique experience for me to actually have something written because i've never used -- no one's ever written a speech for me. i have never given anything on machine. i did sate's going to be pretty tough to actually write a speech that i feel like i can actually give and so i put a lot into

this, i must say, and a lot of tweaking where i felt i was getting what i really wanted to say. >> how was teleprompter practice? >> interesting. i have never spoken to a teleprompter, either. >> being asked questions there on the plane about the teleprompter. you can see there are two teleprompters there that will be in use this evening. ann romney talking to reporters on the plane on the way to tampa and asked about the speech, saying it will be heartfelt. this is the way for the campaign to humanize mitt romney and go after the all-important women's vote. should be a very interesting night. again, ann romney and keynote speaker chris christie speaking. that will wrap things up for me. thanks for your time. see you back here tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. eastern time. ron reagan will join me. meghan mccain will be back as well as melissa harris-perry. until then, follow me on twitter. don't go anywhere. "now" with alex wagner is coming up next. alex, we're watching ann romney practice her speech for tonight.

it's going to be the most important speech of her life. >> it is indeed. prime time ann. we are going to monitor the latest developments from hurricane isaac but first, rain on the gop's parade. we'll discuss the republican party's identity crisis and governor romney's big chance to define himself. plus, romney's economy. we ask laurence o'donnell why the governor's economic message hasn't resonated and mark halperin explains why team obama remains quietly confident. and the feminine mistake. how the rnc's platform isn't helping the party with women. we'll talk with cecile richards and sandra fluke when "now" starts in a mere 180 seconds. i've worked hard to build my family.

and also to build my career. so i'm not about to always let my frequent bladder urges, or the worry my pipes might leak get in the way of my busy lifestyle. that's why i take care, with vesicare. once-daily vesicare can help control your bladder muscle and is proven to treat overactive bladder with symptoms of frequent urges and leaks day and night. if you have certain stomach or glaucoma problems, or trouble emptying your bladder, do not take vesicare. vesicare may cause allergic reactions that may be serious. if you experience swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue, stop taking vesicare and get emergency help. tell your doctor right away if you have severe abdominal pain, or become constipated for three or more days. vesicare may cause blurred vision, so use caution while driving or doing unsafe tasks. common side effects are dry mouth, constipation,

and indigestion. i've worked hard to get to where i am... and i've got better places to go than always going to the bathroom. so take charge of your symptoms by talking to your doctor and go to vesicare.com for a free trial offer. we create easy to use, powerful trading tools for all. look at these streaming charts! they're totally customizable and they let you visualize what might happen next. that's genius! strategies. chains. positions. we put 'em all on one screen! could we make placing a trade any easier? mmmm...could we? open an account today. call 1-888-330-3137 now, and talk to one of our options specialists. optionsxpress by charles schwab. and every day since, two years ago, the people of bp made a commitment to the gulf. we've worked hard to keep it. bp has paid over twenty-three billion dollars to help people and businesses who were affected, and to cover cleanup costs. today, the beaches and gulf are open for everyone to enjoy --

and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. we've shared what we've learned with governments and across the industry so we can all produce energy more safely. i want you to know, there's another commitment bp takes just as seriously: our commitment to america. bp supports nearly two-hundred-fifty thousand jobs in communities across the country. we hired three thousand people just last year. bp invests more in america than in any other country. in fact, over the last five years, no other energy company has invested more in the us than bp. we're working to fuel america for generations to come. today, our commitment to the gulf, and to america, has never been stronger. the debt clock is ticking. the delegates are in place. and romney-palooza is set to begin. is the republican party fired up and ready to go? kind of.